 He is a recipient of the COGEL Award for outstanding service in the cause of open and democratic government, given by the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, an organization of state and federal ethics enforcement officials.The New York Times has called Wertheimer the "dean of campaign finance reformers," and the Boston Globe has called Wertheimer a "legendary open-government activist.NPR Supreme Court Reporter Nina Totenberg said, "Fred Wertheimer has helped write every campaign finance reform law since 1974."